Had it already been over a year since she had joined the Autobots? Sarah could not say for sure exactly, but she knew that her birthday passed, there was a small celebration and then suddenly she was fifteen.

It wasn't an immediate change, but change she did do. Her sweatshirts lessened in bulk and even frequency, replaced with a leather jacket that Fowler had gotten for her as a late gift. Her glasses were changed out for a wider pair, still thick in frame but instead of slim rectangles they were more of a rounded square shape. Her hair was cut to short curls that bounced around her shoulders, and her sneakers were traded in for heeled boots that clicked against the metal floor whenever she walked.

No the change may not have been immediate, but it was dramatic and one that suited her more than she would have thought. Sarah was beginning to grow up, sooner than someone her age would have normally liked but she had always acted older than she was. She always had a sort of glow to her that she would let emit every so often, but now whenever she stepped out of the Prime's cab she shone brightly.

That didn't mean everything had changed, oh no. She still took her spots atop the Prime and Medic's shoulders (whomever she was with at the time) and she still had that quirky personality that didn't quite match her new wardrobe. But that was good. That was alright. Those were some the things about her that mattered that shouldn't be changed. No one ever found it odd when they heard her burst out into laughter or up high on Optimus' shoulder plating just to keep him the company, or helping Ratchet with whatever their little project was (they still hadn't told anyone!).

In fact, that was where Sarah was now. She had one leg drawn up and resting an arm on her knee while the other dangled and her heel gently swung and tapped the Medic on some other part of his armor. She was watching Ratchet put in more calculations and other numbers needed to make their Cube to the right demensions and sturdy enough to hold the amount of engery they were planning it to. Both visibly cringed at the absurdly loud crunching of metal coming from the television followed by Miko's cries of joy and Bulkhead's pained groans. There had been a Ralley in town and no one got more excited than those two.

Much to everyone's dismay.

"Could you please lower the volume?" The CMO asked as he turned away from him work again and faced the two. They were simply never going to get this project done! They hadn't even begun looking for bits of scrap metal to begin building with

"Hey, Ratch-" Bulkhead only glanced up at the other Autobot before returning his gaze to the television. "Check out the Monster truck ralley Miko took me to last week!"

"I compiled some hi-rez with my cellphone!"

"Innocent vehicles battling for the pleasure of human spectators?" The older robot shuddered in horror and scoffed in disgust as he went back to the monitor. "Bloodsport!"

"If you think that's bad then allow me to show you I, Robot one day." Matthews snorted in amusement at the idea of Ratchet sitting through the film and being absolutely disgusted afterwards. Or perhaps he would like it?. The cyborgs gained their freedom afterwards, he may like that part.

"No, thank you," He grumbled before looking back at the Wrecker and human. "You could be helping Optimus in the field right now."

"Oh, he doesn't need my help searching for some acient educational... thingamabob."

Ratchet shook his head and Sarah only copied with a loud sigh. "The 'thingamabob' to which you refer happens to be a Cybertronian Data Cylinder." He promptly turned off the two's show and replaced it with a schematic of the date cylinder, and earned angry complaints instantly. Sarah made a mental note to thank Raf for all his rewiring.

"And there is no telling what vast intelligence it may hold. During the Golden Age dozens of these cylinders were created. Each containing the sum total of Cybertronian knowledge on any given subject; Stellar Chartography; Medicine; Ancient Mythology. When the war broke out, the cylinders were hidden across the Galaxies to keep them as far as possible from Decepticon reach."

Sarah had begun to drift away again, closing her eyes and listening to the Medic's voice and feeling at ease at the slight roughness of it. Yes it was a bit gruff, but she had always found the voice the most attractive part. Many could argue that the eyes were the windows to the soul, but they had nothing on the pure emotion a voice could filter out. Faces were always difficult for her to remember, but voices stayed with her forever. She could pick out her father and brothers and mother's voices in a crowd. The same went with Ratchet's.

Yes, Sarah was willing to admit (in the very middle of the night alone in her room and she's sure no one else is listening) she really did love Ratchet's voice.

Her thoughts were inturrupted with the comm link system bleeping to life and Optimus' voice was the one that filled her ears. (His was nice too, don't get her wrong; Deep and baritone. It was something to make a woman's knees weak).

"Ratchet, Decepticon Ambush! The cylinder is at risk! We require backup!"

"Guess that's your cue, Bulkhead," Sarah glanced over to the Wrecker who straightened up and grinned.

"Backup is what I'm built for!"

"Go bend some fenders, Bulk!" Miko called as she raced down the steps of the platform, Bulkhead rushing through the groundbridge to go and help Optimus and the others. Meanwhile, Ratchet walked up to the staircase where Miko stood.

"I have an important mission for you too, Miko."

"Do I finally get to help you guys with your secret science buddy project?" The teenage girl asked hopefully.

"No!" It was not unusual for Ratchet and Sarah to answer in unison, and this was no exception. Instead, Ratchet handed her the mop and Miko whined in dissapointment.

"How come I have to clean up and she doesn't?" Miko looked to the younger girl of their group and received two shrugs.

"Sarah cleans up when she needs to. However her assitance is need here- with me while we work."

Miko grumbled under her breath while the Medic turned back towards the monitor, Sarah laughing on his shoulder.

"Was that your way of saying you like it when I pester you?"

"If your definition of pestering means having intellectual conversations and getting actual work done, than yes. Yes I do."

"Good. You're fun to pester and I wasn't leaving anyway." She repositioned herself until she had her back to one of the platelets of his neck, resting against it and drawing her knees up. She loved being this close to the Medic, she was able to hear all the small sounds he would not allow anyone else to. Like the small chuckle that rumbled in his engine.

Damn you. You'll never know how much I would be willing to do for you.

"The schematics are just about finished. We should begin to look for scrap sights for resources to build with."

"Hmmm.. Do you think we could use some parts of the hanger that don't work anymore? You said it yourself, the place hasn't been the same since the scraplet attack."

"True. Anything they managed not to dine on could prove useful."

"Recycling is good for the environment."

"Very-"

The medic was caught off by Miko suddenly comming on over the comm link. He realized then why it was so quiet.

"Miko? This is an emergency channel we need to keep it open for Aut- Wait." He looked around. "Where are you?"

"Doy! I'm with the thingamabob!" Miko shouted into the receiver over the sounds of screeching metal and gunfire.

"Thingama-? The data cylinder."

"Yes! Can you bridge it out of here?"

"I will reactivate arrival coordinates." The medic threw the switch and the groundbridge swirled back to life just like it had only moments ago.

"Dude! Can't you open it any closer?" Miko whined. How was she supposed to get a metal cylinder about four times bigger than her across fifty yards of fighting robot carnage?

"She won't be able to move it." Sarah mumbled as she stood, carefully holding onto Ratchet's audio flag to steady herself and his constant moving. "It's too big. She won't even be able to roll the thing."

"Without precise coordinates, I cannot open a bridge anywhere else except where I have the coordinates for!" He gruffed back to her. He should have been keeping a better optic on Miko. He knew she liked to escape! Primus, that girl was like a puppy, he couldn't turn around for a second without her getting into some sort of trouble!

The comm link beeped again as Optimus requested a groundbridge home, Ratchet immediately fired off questions.

"Where is Miko?! Is she alright?!"

"Miko is fine, Ratchet. It is Bulkhead you must worry about."

"What's wrong with Bulkhead?!"

"Nothing!" Came the wrecker's distant voice. "I'm fine!"

Both the medic and human looked at each other after Bulkhead's outburst, holding the same expression on their faces as Ratchet threw the switch and opened the groundbridge once again.

Yeah right.


"I helped lose that thing, I wanna help find it! I need to get back in the field with Optimus!" Bulkhead attempted to stand only for Ratchet to grab the tire on his shoulder and stop him.

"You're under my watch now. Optimus' orders! And running a full scan of your nural net would be a wiser use of your time." The medic turned back to the console where he had left Sarah in order to check on the recent scans he had performed on the wrecker. With only minor wounds, he seemed alright.

"C'mon, Doc!" Bulkhead groaned as he pulled off the tube connecting to his helm. "There's nothing up there to scan!"

"He seems fine to me," Miko pipped from her spot on the floor.

The medic sighed heavily and knelt down to pick something up off the foor. "Well if you insist on making yourself useful-" He came around with something in his hand and both knew what it was by the long wooden handle. "-You can help Miko tidy up."

Sarah could only smile as Ratchet revealed the mop and deposited in Bulkhead's hand before returning for her. "I believe you and I have some business else where to take care of. Concerning a certain 'science project'?" He held out his hand for her and the brunette's smile widened as she stepped over the railing and slid into his hand (His other came up to support her back and she just thought that was so nice).

"Why, Doctor, I thought you'd never ask."


"Well, we can't find any scrap yards with the substantial amount of metal we need, maybe we can ask Fowler if the military has a low of old projects that they don't use anymore?" Sarah offered from her place on Ratchet's shoulder.

"Perhaps. Although he is rather stubborn when it comes to throwing away old machinery."

"You think he might be a horder?"

"It would not surprise me." With their plans done and everything laid out perfectly to the last fine detail, all that was left for Sarah and Ratchet to do was find the necessary amount of metal. Granted that was easier said than done, that did not mean it would be impossible.

"Hey!" Both human and Medic perked up a bit at the sound of Miko once again trying to get their attention.

"Seriously, you guys, you have to see what Bulkhead's painting in here!" They looked at each other for some form of advice, only to be met with similar looks of reluctant agreement. Perhaps if they indulged the other girl, they could return to their task at hand all the more quicker.

"Yes," The Medic sighed as he followed Miko to where it was the wrecker was currently painting. "I'm sure one hasn't truly lived until one has beheld Bulkhead's take on Still Life with lugnuts." Sarah had shown him some of Earth's most famous artistic pieces before, and while he could admit humans were much more artistically inclined than Cybertronians, some of the works they created were- lack-luster. How does a can of broth and vegetables become something of an artform?

It just proved how much he knew of Humanity's culture.

However, what Miko lead them to was not Bulkhead painting an oversized lugnut. The wrecker was muttering something under is breath, something about the value of 'R.'

"That isn't art," Matthews muttered under her breath. She looked up to the Medic and saw he held a shocked expression, optics wide and brow plates risen up in surprise.

"No." He shook his head slowly. "It's science."